


The Phantom Beside You

by artemis_verse



Series: Circling Around Your Spirit [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Auror! Harry, Curses, Death Eaters, Get your tissues ready, M/M, So much angst, after the war, cursed! draco, death is cruel, harry is so worried, poor draco :((, sick! draco, very sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:01:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25055860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemis_verse/pseuds/artemis_verse
Summary: A mysterious curse makes Draco ill- it becomes much more severe when it started to consume him alive.What happens when Harry learns about the curse and the effect on Draco? Will he be able to save him or is it too late?Little does he know, a faint white spirit is there to help him.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Narcissa Black Malfoy, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Harry Potter/Ron Weasley, Narcissa Black Malfoy & Harry Potter
Series: Circling Around Your Spirit [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815745
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. A Letter

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting my work here so any constructive criticism is appreciated. Also English is not my native language therefore I apologise for any grammar mistakes or spellings or any errors. 
> 
> TW// Blood & a lot of topics surrounding death. If that makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to read it : )

It all started on a sunny afternoon where Robards requested him to pick up all the remaining dark artefacts from the Malfoy Manor. Narcissa Malfoy had willingly stored them away in boxes and is waiting for Harry's arrival. When Harry arrived at the manor, he was greeted by a house elf named Bitts.

"Thank you for coming here and taking all of them back to where they belong." Narcissa said with a smile. She looked older, perhaps the war tires her out.

He doesn't blame her, losing her husband must've affected her badly. Harry had spoken at her and Draco's trial, insisting that both of them are indeed innocent. Of course, being the Boy-Who-Lived, they granted his wishes and let the two Malfoys live their life normally as they can.

"It's my job to do so. Where have you place all of them?" 

"In the storage room. Bitts will show you the way." Then appeared an elf that reminded Harry of Dobby.

He looked at the elf in front of him. "Hello master Potter, I will be taking you to the storage room." His gaze went back to Narcissa.

"I'm afraid I can't be with you, Harry. My portkey to France leaves in about 30 minutes." She smiled sadly. Harry and Narcissa had been on first name basis ever since she saved his life.

He gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about it. I can handle it myself. I hope you enjoy your time in France, you really deserve it." She looks at him fondly and pulled him into a hug then bid goodbyes to him and Bitts.

A flash of green from the fireplace and she was gone. He glanced down at the elf, "Follow me, master Potter."

They walked through multiple hallways and doors. Dust covered paintings and paintings that had been covered by black cloths. He wondered how big this manor actually is. Thankfully, he can't feel the dark magic lurking around this part of the manor.

They finally stopped at a huge black door, Bitts opened the door and guided him in. For a storage room, it was sure very organised and clean. There was a large black table and on top of it was stack of boxes, labelled with **Dark Artefacts! DO NOT TOUCH!**

He began to collect all of them one by one with Bitts helping him. Once he had everything, they stepped out of the room.

"Apologies for forgetting to tell you this but master Draco has left you a letter as well as a box of his belongings to you, master Potter." Curiously, he asked Bitts to bring him the said letter and the box.

He waited in the living area and suddenly Bitts appeared with a box floating above the air and a note in his little hands. He gave the note to Harry and the box set down aside him. Then Bitts disapparated. 

He sat down on the leather couch and began unfolding the letter which reads:

> _Dear Harry,_
> 
> _If you're reading this, you won't ever see me again in the flesh. Instead you will see me as a flash of white, hovering around the ground. However, that's another story to tell. I wanted to apologise for the treatment that I caused upon you during our school years. I never really wanted to be your enemy nor torment you. I just wanted to be your friend and when you turned down that handshake, it made me resent you. I want to thank you for letting me and my mother out of Azkaban. If it weren't for you, we would probably be rotting away in Azkaban like my father. Furthermore, I haven't been in touch nor step foot into the Wizarding world for quite some time and I intend to stay that way. However, due to some complications, I won't be well and it's making me ill. My mother is not aware of this difficulty that I'm going through but if you have received this letter by now, it's best to inform my mother what happened to me. If you want additional information, please ask Bitts about it but don't ask him too much, he gets overly sensitive by this topic. I know you are probably confused but this illness is slowly making me die. I wish I knew more about this mystery illness that is causing me to lose my life but I'm afraid that I'm running out of time to figure that out. Please take care of my mother and give her the necklace that I had placed in the box. Your help is truly appreciated and I can't thank you enough. I wish I can repay you but somehow time is cruel and I'm fading away. Maybe I will repay you in another lifetime, if that's possible. Thank you again for everything._
> 
> _PS; Tell my mother that I love her and it's not her fault._
> 
> _Sincerely,  
>  Draco Malfoy._

Harry felt his fingers tremble as he gently place the letter down. He can't comprehend what he had read just now. Had Draco Malfoy been dealing with a deadly illness yet no one knew about it? To make matters worse, he's not seeking any help either. Harry is starting to get really concerned and suspicious.

But first, he had to go back to the Ministry and find out more about Draco's whereabouts.

He apparated into his office and managed to get Ron to collect all the artefacts, bringing them over to Department of Dark Magic. Then he had asked his colleague about Draco Malfoy because he had heard him mentioning the Malfoy heir a few months ago.

"Hmm... I don't know where he is now. I saw him while I was in muggle London back then. He was alone and he looked quite bad honestly. Very pale and sickly. He was buying some items in the supermarket but that's about it." 

A few days later, he found out that Malfoy lives in London and lives in an apartment by himself near the city. He has not been in contact with his friends from school.

When he contacted the landlord, she stated that she hasn't seen Malfoy for 3 months now. She has tried calling him but got no response which eventually leads to his phone turning off completely. Lucky for Malfoy, the landlord is a sweet old lady that didn't mind that Malfoy hasn't paid his rent for 3 months now but only worried about what happened to him,

Harry went back to the Malfoy Manor. Narcissa was still in France, staying at their manor there. He was able to enter the house by muttering _Alohomora. _He knows he's secretly trespassing but it must have been done especially since Malfoy has been mysteriously disappeared.__

__"Master Potter! Bitts didn't expect master Potter would drop by today." The elf looked like he was on the verge of panicking and mumbling apologies at him._ _

__"Forgive me, Bitts but I came here unplanned. Do you know anything about what happened to Draco? He's been missing for 3 months now." At the mention of Draco, the elf went into a grim look and hesitated before speaking up._ _

__"Master Draco is very ill. He didn't deserve it! It just happened all so suddenly." Harry frowned at the sad looking creature, "No he didn't deserve that." Harry agrees._ _

__"Can you tell me more about what happened?" Bitts hesitated again before nodding._ _

__"Master Draco fell ill after the war had ended. It slowly gets worse and on his return to Hogwarts, he would always floo'd back to the manor because he didn't want his friends to suspect anything. He wouldn't eat nor would he take care of himself anymore. He got weaker and weaker. Sometimes he would have blackouts for hours and wake up with no memories of what happened. After completing his N.E.W.T.S, the illness was starting to take a toll on him. He would sleep for days and not wake up at all." The elf sniffed._ _

__"Bitts is very worried for master Draco but master Draco told Bitts to keep it a secret from everyone including master Narcissa. Then one day... he came here wanting to surprise master Narcissa but he died before seeing her." Bitts frantically wiped away his tears._ _

__"Was Draco buried? Is he still somewhere in this house or nearby?" Panic arose inside of him._ _

__The elf shakes his head, "I'm afraid I don't know where master Draco is. He flees before the locket turns dark."_ _

__Harry furrowed his brows, "What locket?"_ _

__"It- it's a locket that master Draco gave to Bitts to keep track on him. The locket is green when master is alive but it turned dark when the person who owns the locket is gone forever." Tears welled up in Bitts's eyes again._ _

__"May I know where the locket is?" Bitts nodded solemnly and disapparated. Later, he appeared with the locket in his tiny hands._ _

__Bitts gave it to Harry, "I hope master Potter could find master Draco. Even if he's not here anymore, it would be master Narcissa's wish to see master Draco one last time and plan a proper burial for him."_ _

__Harry felt the weight of responsibility on him- to find Malfoy is increasing rapidly. He wouldn't want anyone to die after the war ended. He risked his life to save everyone but now... he couldn't even save Malfoy._ _

__He quickly left and asked Ron about the locket. Days pass by, Ron barged into his office. His face full of terror and shock._ _

__"H- Harry!" Harry raises his head to gaze at his ginger haired friend. "You mentioned this locket belongs to Malfoy isn't it?" He nodded._ _

__"This locket" He pointed agitatedly, "changes colours according to Malfoy's wellbeing and emotions."_ _

__A look of puzzlement crossed Harry's face. "What? What do you mean? How?" He questioned._ _

__Ron sighs, "It has 4 colours. Green, blue, red and black. Green means neutral and his wellbeing is healthy. Blue means sadness and his wellbeing is unhealthy. Red means pain and his wellbeing is unstable or at risk. Lastly, black means feeling numb or empty and his wellbeing is... not present." He placed the locket onto Harry's desk. The locket gleamed in the colour black._ _

__They both stared gloomily at the locket. "How long has it been black?" Ron broke the silence after both of them are too stunned to utter a word._ _

__Harry shrugged, "Don't know. Bitts, Malfoy's house elf said it's been black ever since he left the manor and that was 3 months ago."_ _

__They stood in silence again. The air suddenly felt glum as both of them realised what it meant._ _

__"He's... been dead for a while, isn't he?" Ron croaked. "Why did no one came to report this to us?"_ _

__Every time a wizard dies, they must be reported and have a proper burial if the body is found. If not, they can have a ceremony or a gathering to remember the loss. Not every wizard gets reported thought, unfortunately._ _

__"Must be because he ran away somewhere far. He probably died alone and in a place where no one could find him." The thought of that makes Harry's stomach churned. Even if he hates Malfoy with all of his guts, he can't imagine him dying alone from an illness that's eating him away in a place where no one could find him. It's too daunting._ _

__Ron paced back and forth, "I'm not sure, Harry. I would have to ask Will to check it for you." With that, he grabbed the locket and stormed out of Harry's office._ _

__3 months since he was last seen... let's hope that they manage to track down his whereabouts. Harry isn't eager on finding Malfoy's skeleton as the body is probably decayed by now. He just wishes his remains will be intact so that they could examine if it's really Malfoy._ _

__A week passed by and Harry is starting to get fidgety about the outcome. He's unable to sleep most nights due to the racing thoughts of Malfoy. He wondered why didn't Malfoy told anybody? Surely, he'll tell one of his friends._ _

__Why was he hiding his illness? Was it a curse? Did someone decided to take their revenge on the Malfoy heir after the war ended? Why did he chose to suffer and die instead of getting help? Why did he lived alone and hasn't contacted his friends?_ _

__Too many questions left unanswered. Guess he'll never know since Malfoy is gone now. He can't help but feel dejected. They were suppose to be _enemies _so why did he feel like losing Malfoy is making him miserable.___ _

____On one boring Wednesday afternoon, Harry was filling his paperwork when Ron barged into his office. He immediately looked up and awaited Ron's response after waiting for so long._ _ _ _

____"Will managed to find his location." He paused and turned around, muttering a spell, locking the door and silence the room._ _ _ _

____"Where is he?" Harry asked impatiently. "He's located in a forest. It's not even in Wiltshire but in Scotland."_ _ _ _

____"Scotland?" Harry sat there, thinking as Ron had a perplexed look etched on his face._ _ _ _

____"Don't you think he'd be at Hogwarts?" Ron queried._ _ _ _

____Why would Malfoy go to Hogwarts?_ _ _ _

____"Only one way to find out."_ _ _ _

____Harry had offered Ron to join him but he refused. Told Harry that he's still creeped out by the Forbidden Forest and the thought of running into a spider terrifies him._ _ _ _

____Thus stood Harry at the entrance of the Forbidden Forest. Ron casted a tracking spell onto him so that he could easily find Harry if he manages to get himself lost._ _ _ _

____He began exploring the forest, trying to not let his fear distract him. He can hear voices and whispers throughout the forest. Some are even calling his name but he paid no attention. Will had casted a spell onto the locket and it shows the location of the owner. Harry gripped the locket in his hand, observing the black gem, unresponsive and glinting._ _ _ _

____Abruptly, the locket started to rattle in his hand, he gestured to the ground and it jerked onto the muddy grass. Harry hastily grabbed the locket and tucked it away in his pocket._ _ _ _

____Harry casted Defodio and the soil reveals a blonde hair through the dirt. A shudder and eyes widened, he kneeled down and quickly dug the soil, hoping it was Malfoy._ _ _ _

____And it was._ _ _ _

____His body was perfectly intact. Harry felt sick to his stomach and turned around, vomiting at the pungent smell. After he had collected himself, he examined Malfoy's body. He puts a levitation spell onto the lifeless body and brought it back to the person who would know how to solve this issue._ _ _ _

____"Harry! Do you know how much trouble we could get for this?!" Hermione exclaimed angrily. Him and Ron stood beside each other and looked down. They were in Hermione's office at her house._ _ _ _

____"Can you please just check the body? I'm starting to get really sick." Ron quavered, his face is pale and anxious. She sighed, muttering a spell and ran diagnostics on Malfoy._ _ _ _

____Hermione works as a healer in St.Mungos. After witnessing her parents losing their memories, she had done everything to regain their memories again. She realised from then, she wanted to help people who are going through the same thing as she did._ _ _ _

____The boys watched as Hermione checked his vital signs and blood vessels. Her lips pursued into a thin line as she studies Malfoy's awfully pale and unmoving body._ _ _ _

____"Harry, how long did you say he was last seen by other people?" Her voice shaky as she tried hard to remain calm._ _ _ _

____"3 months ago. Thought his body might be decayed by now but it still looks dreadfully normal." He met her eyes, alarmed. She glanced back at the body with a pained expression._ _ _ _

____A gulp, "Malfoy's been dead for more than 3 months, Harry." Both of their heads jerked up and stared at Hermione, bewildered._ _ _ _

____"His tests showed that he's been dead for at least 6 or 7 months than 3. They stopped functioning a long time ago." She quietly murmurs his body clean._ _ _ _

____"Then how is his body still intact? Shouldn't he be a skeleton by now?" Ron questioned, looking at the body with pure terror._ _ _ _

____She gazes at them with unease. "Somehow his body has been preserved. I don't know how. It is odd that his body is still normal looking considering he's been unresponsive for 7 months or so."_ _ _ _

____But then Harry remembered something. "Mione, is it possible for a spell conjured by their parents could preserve them? Like a protection spell."_ _ _ _

____She furrowed her brows in concentration, Ron continues to gawk at the body displayed in front of them. "It's rare but possible. Why?"_ _ _ _

____"I remembered that Narcissa mentioned she casted a spell on Malfoy to protect him from harm."_ _ _ _

____"Just like your mother did." Hermione added._ _ _ _

____Harry nodded. "Then perhaps since he wasn't killed by anyone but his immune system was getting weaker, the spell couldn't stop it since it's himself that is making him dying. But the only way the spell protected him is from rotting away and turning into bones. Hence why no insects had eaten him nor why his skin isn't melting." She concluded. Ron sprints and went to the trash bin to throw up._ _ _ _

____Ron returned, his face became paler than before, if that's even possible. "Mione, I don't think I can stay down here any longer." With that, he quickly left._ _ _ _

____She sighed, "Do you know what illness he suffered from?"_ _ _ _

____Harry shook his head, "He didn't mention what it is in his letter and by the looks of it, I think he doesn't even know what type of illness he's suffering from."_ _ _ _

____"I'll take him to the labs tomorrow. Can't keep him here though, Ron is feeling really sick because of it." She removed the gloves from her hands. Hermione prefers combining magical and muggle medical to understand more._ _ _ _

____She pulled him into a hug, "Get some rest, Harry. You look distressed. I'll make sure to inform you if I find anything about him."_ _ _ _

____He hugged her back, feeling the warmth and comfort she offered to him. Harry feels lucky to have Hermione in his life. He's grateful for Ron too. They're both important in his life and he's glad he could trust and lean on them for support. Without them, Harry would be lost._ _ _ _

____After the visit to Hermione's, Harry went home and fell asleep on his couch while watching the telly._ _ _ _

____**_ _ _ _

____"Call me when you've done a report on that case!" Harry called out his colleague when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked his phone and Hermione's name flashed on the screen._ _ _ _

____"Hello?"_ _ _ _

____"Harry! You have to get down to the lab now!" Her voice panicked and hurried._ _ _ _

____"Alright, alright. I'm apparating there right now." He grabs his things as fast as he could and apparated to Hermione's lab._ _ _ _

____Hermione was scribbling in her notes promptly and glanced up when she saw Harry. "Harry, remember when you brought Malfoy to me and Ron for the first time?"_ _ _ _

____He nodded, "Ron said he felt sick, right?" He nodded again. "He's been experiencing symptoms that I'm not familiar with and he started to fell ill when he saw Malfoy."_ _ _ _

____"Is it related to Ron?" His gaze landed on Malfoy's still body that is turning into a mixture of blue and purple spots all around._ _ _ _

____"I don't know. Might be a pureblood thing. I still don't have enough information on Malfoy's illness or the exact cause as to how he died. But his body is slowly starting to rot." She pointed to the skin on his arm that's peeling off._ _ _ _

____"Did the spell Narcissa conjured is wearing out?" Hermione examined his body part, the purple-blue mixture is swelling up on his chest._ _ _ _

____With a huff, "Perhaps. Might be because he's been dead for 7 months now and the spell realises the owner is dead hence why the spell stopped working. Or could be that the illness is too powerful even though the owner of the illness is dead." The room was whiffed with the smell of the body. Harry _Accio_ the mask and handed over to Hermione then wearing it himself._ _ _ _

____"Do you think someone put a curse on Malfoy?" Harry's statement made Hermione froze. She frowned, "I really don't know, Harry. If they did, they must be someone who is very powerful. The illness he carried is ancient. Someone must've really hated him and wishes that he's dead to be able to conjure the curse."_ _ _ _

____Silence looms the room as they both started examining Malfoy, leaving the subject before in the dust. Filled with more questions and curiosity in their minds. Both of them are too afraid that it's something deeper and darker that's haunting the late Malfoy._ _ _ _


	2. Pale Blonde Hair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really satisfied with this but eh... oh well.
> 
> Chapter 3 will be updated quite late since I'm going away on a vacation and I have things to sort out in my life first.
> 
> Again, apologies for the misspellings and grammar mistakes. English is not my native language.
> 
> As always, kudos & comments are very much appreciated!

Harry finds himself standing near the forbidden forest yet again. The growing curiosity inside of him is starting to cloud his thoughts and judgements thus leading him back here, to find more clues about Malfoy. Hoping that it'll give him a sense of ease.

He gripped the locket in his hand firmly, tracing his steps and remembering where he had found Malfoy previously. A sudden waft of cold envelop him, sending shivers around his body even though he's wearing a coat. An inkling feeling of burning gaze, observing his movements discreetly.

_Creak!_

Harry tripped and fell onto the ground, his glasses slipped out of his face and the locket out of his grasp. He squinted his eyes, searching for his glasses and hurriedly reaches out to them.

After getting his glasses back, he realizes that the locket was nowhere to be found. A wave of panic surges up on him, frantically looking for the jewelry. Another whiff of cold gushed through him.

The sound of footsteps makes him alert as he grips his wand in his coat as he spun around, meeting a pale blue eyed man.

There stood, Draco Malfoy. All pale and ghostly. His black attire remained in tact, sporting a black turtleneck with a coat over him and black fitted trousers. His shiny leather boots glistened as he stand tall in front of Harry. Blonde- almost white hair disheveled underneath the daylight. His expression of bewilderment as he stares straight into Harry's own eyes.

"Potter?" He spoke up, his voice throaty and hoarse. Harry felt uneasy; what is Malfoy doing here if he's suppose to be dead?

"What are you doing here?" Malfoy asked, clutching the locket firmly.

Harry eyed the locket then glances back at its owner. "Looking for clues."

He frowned, "About what?"

"About you." Harry said timidly.

Malfoy nods his head sadly, avoiding his gaze. He acknowledges the fact that he's not alive anymore and somehow that made Harry feel dejected.

"How long have I've been dead for?" He asked curiously. His face didn't indicate that he was sad about it.

However Harry had a hard time answering the question to a dead man about it. "Do you really want to know?"

He nodded. "7 months. About to get into 8, I'd reckoned, depending on when you died." He can hear him sigh.

"Figures. Feels like I've been dead for years though." He leaned against the tree, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What makes you say that?" Harry walked towards beside him, staring at the boy with questions racing in his mind, begging for an answer.

Malfoy shrugged, "I don't know. Just a hunch. I've been feeling less human since the war ended. Thought it was post-war depression or something like that but turns out it's something much worse." He furrowed his brows, "Now, I'm dead." 

"Do you remember how you died?" Harry knows it's a sensitive subject to ask but the growing curiosity inside of him is gnawing him alive. Seeing the taller man calm and unbothered made Harry believed that he heavily awaited his death.

He stared into Harry's emerald eyes. "Bits and pieces, I'm afraid. When you die, you don't often remember parts of your life." He exhales. "I remember feeling like I was suffocating, my lungs are felt like it was filled with water. A sharp stinging pain in my stomach and my chest feels like someone is constantly stabbing me repeatedly."

Harry gaped in horror, he could never imagined what it was like to experience that type of anguish. He felt sympathetic towards Malfoy. He certainly didn't deserve it. "Do you remember what day or month that you died?"

He hummed, "Maybe around July...? Like 10 July or something like that." 

Harry felt his heart dropped, "Do you know what month it is today?"

He shook his head, rising his slender brow. "It's March 17." Pale blue eyes widened at the realization.

"It's been 8 months since I died." He said quietly, gaze averted to the ground, avoiding Harry's pity stare.

Both of them stood silently, not knowing what to say or comfort each other. Harry admired the gloomy atmosphere of the forest. It's both calming and serene despite the haunting stories and paranormal activities amongst here. 

20 minutes passed by quickly as they sat on the dirty soil, questions still lingering around their minds. Harry glanced at Malfoy who seems to be observing the grass. He finds Malfoy's presence much more tolerable than before. Was it because that he's no longer alive and could not harm Harry or was it because he changed due to the war and his crippling illness that affected him so much?

Shoving down his thoughts, Harry spoke up. "If you are dead... then what are you now? A ghost?" He asked curiously. He had wondered what Malfoy is since they laid eyes on each other. He looks unhuman, like an illusion or a shadow. But not particularly like a ghost who mists around and floats in the air. 

Malfoy lifted his head to look at the crows. "You sure do ask a lot of questions, aren't you Potter?" He teased. 

Before Harry could defend himself, Malfoy sighs. "I'm a phantom. I'm really dead but my soul is lost. I'm not really a ghost either, just a spirit of me roaming around because I have unfinished business here hence why I can't cross over yet." 

"I don't even know what I'm suppose to find out about." He complained frustratingly. 

"Can you go anywhere?" Harry knows that the ghosts at Hogwarts could roam around the castle but he wasn't sure if they're able to wander outside of the castle.

Malfoy shrugs, "I guess? I can follow people if I wanted to but I never really left the forest." He gazes at Harry, "Why? Want me to follow you back home?" He says jokingly.

However that statement rang inside Harry's head instantaneously, it made him feel giddy. Just the two of them, alone and nowhere to hide. He would have to talk to Malfoy everyday and see him every morning he woke up. Harry shook his head furiously.

"Why not?" He croaked, swallowing his pride. Malfoy quickly glanced at Harry, eyes widened. "It must be quite boring to stay here all day, let alone, months!" Harry exaggerated. "Why not, follow me back home. At least you could torment me for your own amusement." He offered. He doesn't know why but the thought of leaving Malfoy all alone in this haunted forest doesn't feel right.

He bit his lip, humming. "I guess there's no harm in following you. Are you sure you don't mind?" Harry reassured him and they both stood up, preparing to leave.

Harry kept peering over his shoulder to make sure that Malfoy is following him and not vanish into thin air. He'd be very disappointed if the latter evaporated all of the sudden.

He told Malfoy his address since he insisted on using phantom "powers" to arrive there quickly. Luckily, Harry didn't have any strong wards today at his home as he expected to have someone over. He thanked Merlin for trusting his hunch and not casting a strong ward to keep any creatures off.

Malfoy faded into nothing- just air swirling around and Harry stared in fascination. Once, Malfoy truly disappeared from his sight, Harry quickly made his way home.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

When Harry stood in the living room, he scanned for signs of pale blonde hair and blue-grey eyes.

A tap on his shoulder startled him, "Fuck!" He exclaimed as he heard Malfoy guffawed at him. Harry smiles at the sight behold him, he finds that Malfoy has a pretty laugh that made his heart thumped loudly.

Later that night, they were both sitting on the sofa, Harry grips the chopsticks and ate the takeout that he's holding on his other hand while Malfoy watches the telly with much fascination and diversion.

Suddenly a thought occurred in his mind, "Wait... I thought phantoms couldn't touch humans?" Harry queried, averting his gaze to Malfoy.

"Yeah. We can't." He agreed.

"Then how can you tap on my shoulder earlier?" This seems to make Malfoy confused as he stopped focusing his attention onto the telly.

He furrowed his brows questionably, "Place your hands up as if you're trying to high five someone." Harry obeyed what he said and waited, the Chinese takeout sits on the table. 

Malfoy was inches away from Harry's hand but he can feel the cold breeze radiating off of the taller man. 

Their hands moved closer, Harry anticipated for the touch but to no avail, Malfoy's hand slipped past Harry's and all he felt was chilled draft. Malfoy frowned, dropping his hand down and stare at the ground, avoiding Harry's eyes.

"Not surprised. Perhaps it was just a one time occasion." His voice sounded disappointed. "Yeah." Harry agreed timidly.

They went back to resuming what they did prior, the noodles no longer tasted as delicious as before and Malfoy fixated on the telly, watching the women arguing over a wedding dress.

"By the way..." Malfoy spoke up. "Call me Draco. Malfoy sounds too formal and we're not in Hogwarts anymore, Harry." He laid back on the sofa, briefly glancing at Harry before averting to the telly again.

The way his name rolled off Draco's tongue makes Harry shivers. He doesn't even know why his heart is beating so fast either. Why is he making Harry feel this way? Maybe it's the coldness emitting off of him whenever Harry's near him. 

He yawned which made Draco stopped watching the telly and turned his gaze towards him. "You can go to sleep if you'd like. Don't mind me, I'll just roam around."

He nodded sleepily and threw the takeout away before heading upstairs but before entering his room, he called Draco out. "Goodnight Draco!" A blink and Draco appeared in front of him, a small smile etched on his lips. "Goodnight Harry." Then he vanished.

Harry changed himself lazily and as soon as his head hit the pillows, he's welcomed by deep slumber. 

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

The next day, Harry woke up feeling a lot better compared to previous days now that he had found Draco. The feeling of loss and failure is still clouding his mind but it's not too overpowering anymore.

He trudges downstairs, ruffling his curly hair and made his way towards the kitchen. His sleepy eyes bulged wide open when he saw Draco placing the strawberry on top of the stacks of pancakes.

He looked up and smiled at Harry, "I made you breakfast. I hope you don't mind. I knew you've had a long week helping my case so consider this as a token of gratitude for finding my body and letting me stay here." Harry felt his throat dry, the scent of pancakes immediately making his stomach grumbled in hunger.

As he sat down, Draco makes him coffee while humming to a tune. He can't help but stare in awe at the beautiful man in his kitchen. A man who had his life ripped away from him brutally. A man who died from an unknown illness when he was only 18 years old. A man who _deserves_ to live his life to the fullest.

"Thank you Draco. This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done to me." He declared, grinning at him in which the pale man returned back with a grin of his own.

They made idle chat between them as Draco watches Harry stuffed his face with pancakes that Draco made. He stopped mid-way when he realized something, "Don't you miss eating and enjoying food?"

Draco placed his elbow on the table and rest his face on the palm of his hand. "Of course I do." He sighed. "I miss being a normal human being. I can't really do much nor can I feel anything anymore. I can't even make physical contact with living beings." He admitted with discontent in his tone.

Harry mentally cursed himself for asking him a question like that. "Your pancakes are really good. The best ones I've had for sure." With the topic changed, Draco smiled at him softly as Harry continues to eat the pancakes.

The pancakes Draco made were soft and fluffy. It tastes like a heaven's made pancakes and it probably was. He didn't even realize that Draco could cook let alone this good. He wouldn't mind eating this everyday.

After their breakfast chatter, Harry showered and dressed himself. He didn't have any work today since it was the weekend so he wore casual clothes instead of robes. He was trying to tame his hair when Draco appeared at his side.

"You can't tame your unruly hair. Just leave it be." He suggested, Harry rolled his eyes at him as he lets his hands drop to his side. "You used to call it a bird's nest." 

He scoffed, "Used to. Even if I used to, I'd still think it looks good on you." He confessed, glancing around Harry's room. That statement made Harry's stomach flutter.

"Do you have any plans for today?" He asked nonchalantly.

"No. It's the weekend and I don't have any work on the weekends except if it was an emergency." He dust off his clothes, trying to look nice. "I either stay here or go to Ron and Hermione's." At the mention of both of his friends, Draco looked at him with an expression he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He huffed, "Well, what should we do today, Harry Potter?" He smiled slyly.

Harry rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Maybe we could catch up on things. Bond over chess?" He offered, knowing that the taller man played chess back in Hogwarts.

"Oh, you're on." He glared at Harry, trying to appear intimidating but instead looked creepy with the white hue surrounding his appearance.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Harry set the board down on the table as Draco sat on the floor. He eyes Harry, "How are you? I mean after Hogwarts."

Harry sat on the opposite side of Draco, counting the pieces and gave some to Draco. "Fine, I suppose. After completing my N.E.W.T.S, I took on the job offer for becoming an auror."

"Huh... not surprised. You are the chosen one after all. The saviour of us all." He remarked sarcastically which earned a groan from Harry.

"What about you? Before you..." He trailed off, observing Draco's blank expression. He hoped that he hadn't crossed the line yet.

Draco sighed, "Well, I moved to muggle London and lived there alone after the war. I couldn't stand living in the manor, mother was really distraught on me leaving though." He inhaled, "Made some friends with muggles. They were quite lovely. Adopted a cat named Scorpius and learned how to paint whilst dealing with a deadly illness." He arranged the pieces on the board. To think that Draco was living a fairly normal life just to be taken away from him makes Harry feel dejected.

They started playing with Draco starting first, winning in rock-paper-scissors before. "What about you and she-weasel? Are you two still together?" There was a hint of bitterness in his voice. Harry didn't understand what that meant.

He shook his head, "No. We broke up before going back to Hogwarts." He and Ginny remained friends despite ending their romantic relationship with each other. Unfortunately, Harry wasn't comfortable of pursuing a relationship with her to the next level.

Ginny wanted more and needed Harry to commit however Harry felt like he wasn't ready. It was too much of a responsibility. Harry just wanted space and time to heal and find himself again before committing to someone on a deeper bond. The war scarred him badly and he simply wasn't in the right mental state to be in a serious relationship.

"What a shame." Draco commented. 

"What does it feel like?" Harry changed the subject as Draco arched his brow. "Being a phantom?" His curiosity got the best of him, realizing what he had said as he looked up to Draco who was clearly taken aback by the question.

He muttered, "Sorry. You don't need to answer that. Just.. forget what I said."

Draco merely looked at him as he examines his fingernails. "It's boring and frustrating. The worst part is that we can't do anything. It's like we're living but we're not actually living. We don't get to feel what it's like to feel emotions again or the smell the scent of the muddy dirt of Earth." He exhales. "We can't caress someone else's skin again nor can we feel the warmth of their embrace. We're empty. Our immune system stopped working and our brain is frozen. All we do is sit and mope around this planet and wait till we get to cross over." He shuts his eyes close and breathes. 

"We're barely living. We're helpless and we're losing hope. To be stuck in this place without having the power to do something is aggravating. Imagine dying to only be stuck here because your soul has unfinished business and you can't cross over. Shitty isn't it?" He huffed, scowling. In this moment, he looks so broken, like he lost every ounce of hope that he had.

Harry can feel his eyes getting watery, he's been quite sensitive lately however, seeing Draco's outburst is making him feel miserable. He swore he's gonna do everything he can to help Draco, to make him cross over so that he can be in peace.

They played the rest of the game in silence with Harry secretly stealing glances at the pale man. Draco knows Harry is eyeing him while trying to appear nonchalant but Draco remains unbothered, too drained to say what's on his mind.

The game went on and alas, Draco won and Harry lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew... 
> 
> Hope all of you enjoyed it!
> 
> See you all on the next update! 
> 
> Thank you for reading! I really appreciate it! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Welp. That's a long chapter. Sorry if there's too many dialogues (I know it might get boring with so many convos). 
> 
> Fun Fact: I actually wrote this last year but never shared it. I guess I decided to share it to the world after all. Hehe, most of my fics that I wrote are self-indulgent hence why I never posted my works before.
> 
> Also since I wrote chapter 1 & chapter 2 last year, the chapters onwards will be slightly with improved (I hope) writing so sorry if it's not the best now! But I don't feel like rewriting the whole thing. Hope you'll understand!


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